Microsoft Taps Y2K Shaman

In a complementary exchange of announcements aimed at advancing the presence of both companies in the Y2K solutions arena, Microsoft has offered a free 120-day trial of its Systems Management Server (SMS), while Shaman Corp. released information about its Enterprise product’s interoperability with SMS.

Assisting enterprises to achieve Y2K compliance has been a theme for the Redmond, Washington-based software giant, and SMS is wired to the effort’s center.

A visit to the Microsoft’s TechNet Year 2000 page will bring users to (along with a smiling image of Mr. Bill) information that includes how SMS’ inventory capabilities, combined with its software deployment tools, provides Year 2000 analysis for various customer environments.

The Shaman product aims to enable SMS to deliver Y2K compliance data, bug fixes, and updates from the Shaman knowledge-base, which contains information from a variety of software publishers including Adobe, Lotus, Macromedia, Netscape and Symantec.

San Francisco-based Shaman also announced recently that it would assist the U.S. Department of Education in their Y2K remediation and reporting process.

GE Taps A Secure Fix

Lynnwood, Washington-based SecureNet Technologies, provider of a Y2K hardware diagnostic and remediation tool, has announced that it has granted a corporate site license of its product to General Electric Power Systems.

SecureNet’s Y2K Test & Fix delivers “very quickly to all desktops via e-mail,” commented Niraj Khurana of GE Power’s Global Sourcing Commodities. “Users just click on the attachment and the Y2K FIX is installedinstant Y2K compliance.”

A free evaluation copy of the product is available online at y2ktestandfix.com.

Y2K Triage Snapshot

Elsewhere in the bustling and opportunistic field of Y2K remediation offerings, Deerfield, Florida-based CENSOFT, Inc. announced a new management software solution that provides an in-process “snapshot” of a company’s data, in order to assess compliancy status.

The Y2K Triage Snapshot product determines risk exposure levels, conducts compliance and triage audits, and prioritizes assets and resources for contingency planning. CENSOFT is a Group InfoTech Company (GIT), which provides e-commerce and payment technologies, application system development, project consulting and management and turnkey solutions integration.

What a Difference a Couple of Digits Makes

Epson Electronics America has also stepped up to the Y2K game with the announcement of its real-time clock module, which uses a century counter to achieve Y2K compliance by extending the 2-digit year to 4 digits. The device, which features a 32.768KHz crystal, transmits address and data serially, via a two-line bi-directional 12C Bus, and is optimized for low power consumption.